I am curious about our framing for the way we choose to interact in the business world. How do we learn to be so incredibly fearful and ridiculously respectful to superiors? Perfectly independent and strong willed young people enter the workforce and – what appears to me – far too quickly they accept the status quo of the culture and strive to “fit in and belong”. Why does this happen so quickly and easily? So many questions…….and I am also aware that I drive many of the special people in my life crazy by the questions I ask. 
I love curiosity and I treasure exploration. Yes, in the moment it can be very tricky………..don’t know what to say, ignites feelings of frustration…..AND…..if we can value it in the long term – what a difference.
I am not perfect – ask my husband and business partner – in the moment I can become just as defensive as the most reluctant of learners – however I DO reflect and I DO return to explore what happened. I don’t know that we do this well enough and I don’t know that we respect and treasure this enough.
What I do know is that we need to find ways to reframe the next generation who enter the workforce ………but oh no – we have instead found ways to label and ostracise them! Well done us! Generation Y, Z or instead Alpha…..we have labelled them so we can make sure they feel our retribution and our judgement.
Maybe it starts at school with the attitude of our educators? I have challenged my daughters to talk to their teachers about situations and things – and they all too often decline the challenge. It is really not worth the wrath!! Don’t rock the boat…….it is alive and kicking isn’t it?
Maybe as parents we damage the set up and framing? When parents choose to lead the family based on positional power, approval and dependence – do they frame the work and school experience? How far back do we need to go to understand what is happening when people turn up at work?
Is this what we want, is this what is going to work for the framing of our work experience? Is this truly preparing us for the future?
I don’t believe we are framing our young people for success and I don’t believe the older generations are supporting the integration of young people into the workplace. So I hear you say – well smarty pants, what needs to change?
We need parents and educators to make it OK for young people to be REAL, to challenge, to share and importantly to listen……….and for those of us in the older generations we need to stop defending and protecting…….we need to be OK with BEING vulnerable, sharing and importantly having the courage to LISTEN.
I was raised and grew up understanding that children were to be seen and not heard – you didn’t have a voice that would be heard. And sometimes it feels like we haven’t moved beyond this…….when will we let the old ways go and devise the new ways?
I still hear well educated and senior people speaking poorly about the “younger” generation and how they are entering into the workforce…….are we encouraging them to release their full potential or rather teaching them ways of survival in our current business environment?
Thanks for listening and I encourage you to embrace any resistance you might feel as you read this!! Remember we usually resist most what we need to learn!
